Mat 23:9 And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
Mat 23:10 Neither are you called masters: for one is your Master, [even] Christ.

Was Christ really saying that we should not address our male parents as our "father?" How does this make sense? Yet it is the idea in all popular English translations. What is missing here is the context. Christ is specifically referring to the "scribes and Pharisees" or, more generally, to all ministers and priests.

All popular translations also put the verse ten in the passive form: don’t let yourselves be called “master” or more precisely, "guide." However, the verb form is exactly the same as the preceding two verses, where we are clearly being told not to call the priests these names.

A better translation would be: And never call [them] your father on the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither call [them] guides: for one is your Guide, Christ.

Once we recognize Christ was talking specifically about religious leaders, we have another problem. Christian practice, in this case among Catholics, who were the only church for over a thousand years, differs dramatically from Christ's words. How could the practice of calling priests "father" could ever get started, given that Christ specifically condemns it. The first priest that were called "father" certainly knew the Bible well enough to know what Christ said.

This brings us to the heart of Christ’s teaching. Social organizations are, by their very nature, about hierarchy. Once the church became a social organization, it fell into the trap of all social organizations. The church was no longer about an individual’s relationship with God, but about the relationships among the people within the organization.